In his budget speech for the fiscal year of 2010/11, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey proposed a grant of Rs one billion to support those schools that lack teachers in proportion to the number of students. [break]
The grant, according to the MoE officials, will be distributed among schools that lack adequate number of teachers. With this grant, earmarked under Per Child Fund (PCF) policy, schools can employ new teachers.
However, education experts argue, the grant of Rs one billion is more likely to open a Pandora´s Box than resolve the chronic crisis of teachers. They point out mainly three defects likely to be caused by the allocation.
First, in the face of a series of agitation by the relief quota teachers for permanent postings, appointing new teachers under PCF policy, is likely to mount further pressure on the MoE. New teachers appointed as per this policy may join hands with already agitating relief quota teachers in the days ahead.
Second, given the fact, which the MoE has acknowledged, that many schools are faking the total number of students studying in their schools in the documents to be submitted at Department of Education (DoE) to claim bigger pies of the fund, the PCF policy is fraught with probabilities of corruption. "The government does not have the exact data of students," said education expert Dr Bishnu Karki. "In such circumstances, the PCF policy creates just a mess, raising the chances of corruption during the disbursement of funds."
Third, while allotting the grant for appointing new teachers, the MoF and the MoE have neglected a burning issue of management of redundant teachers. As an upshot to the lack of proper management, some schools seriously lack teachers while others boast having more than necessary. The MoE has yet to launch a result-oriented crusade to transfer teachers hired under redundant quotas to those schools that lack them.
According to the DoE, schools across the country still lack 40,000 teachers. The problem can be solved to a great extent if the MoE garners enough courage to free the redundant quota teachers from the clutches of some privileged schools and transfer them to needy ones. "It needs a strong political will to manage redundant teacher quotas," an MoE official told Republica. "We can not do it on our own as these schools try to retain the redundant quotas by hook or crook."
Up yet short
As in the past fiscal years, the MoF has allocated biggest pie of the budget to the education sector. With the allottment of Rs 57.65 billion for the MoE, the total budget in education has increased by 24.5 per cent. However, education experts say it is not enough. "The government needs to allocate 20 per cent of the total budget to the education sector," Dr Karki said.
Around 50 NGOs and INGOs advocating for access to quality education in Nepal have launched a campaign to exert pressure on the government to allocate 20 per cent of the national budget to the education sector. They claim that Education Minister Sharbendra Nath Shukla had assured them of the 20 percent allocation a few months ago.
"The amount of budget has increased. However, given the high inflation and increasing number of students, it does not hold significance," Dr Karki said. "The logic behind the 20 per cent allocation is that we need a massive upgrade in our education infrastructure."
Under its Physical Facility Improvement Project, the MoF has not allocated even a single penny in the last two years.
Related story
Private school teachers place an ultimatum to withdraw decision...
